Two years since Wolfeboro murder, family awaits news of a suspect and an arrest

By Samantha Allen

sallen@fosters.com

fosters.com

By Samantha Allen

sallen@fosters.com

Posted Oct. 30, 2012 at 3:15 AM

By Samantha Allen

sallen@fosters.com

Posted Oct. 30, 2012 at 3:15 AM

WOLFEBORO — This Halloween marks the second anniversary of the murder of a longtime former Wolfeboro resident, a unsolved tragedy that continues to plague her family and loved ones.

Bobbie Miller’s younger sister, Mickie Moore, of Manchester, said the family has upped its $50,000 reward to $53,000 this year, for any information relevant to the case. They plan to hike up Mount Major in Alton Saturday, Nov. 3, to raise awareness of their cause.

“My real feeling is there is a murderer out there and they need to be caught. They could take someone else’s life and they have to be caught…,” she said. “I wonder when it happens, I keep having hope that if we find out, am I going to feel better? The pain will never ever, I don’t think, go away.”

Miller, 54, at the time of her death, lived in Wolfeboro for 26 years before moving to Gilford. Two months later, she was found dead in her home, on Nov. 1, 2010, from multiple gunshot wounds. The family believes she was attacked in her home on Country Club Road on Halloween that year, though limited information is available on the case.

The Gilford Police Department deferred comment to the attorney general’s office and Assistant Attorney General Ben Agati did not return a call for comment before press time. Gilford Police Detective Chris Jacques told Foster’s he was working “closely” on the case, along with New Hampshire State Police.

“Basically, where we’re at is we don’t really know. (Police) don’t tell us anything,” Moore added. “All they keep telling us is it is not a cold case.”

According to Carroll County Superior Court documents, shortly before she was killed, Miller had filed for divorce from her husband Gary Miller, and the two were due back in court the following week for a hearing on a financial issue. Documents indicate Gary, who previously owned Auto Village. Inc., in Wolfeboro and other automotive shops in the area, claimed his wife had not paid $74,094.50 owed toward a tax liability.

In another strange aspect of the case, three days before Bobbie Miller was found dead, Gary Miller’s three-season cottage in Acton, Maine, caught fire under suspicious circumstances. Reports in 2010 said it took firefighters six hours to battle the blaze and the cottage was burned to the ground.

Looking for answers

Moore said she drove to Wolfeboro two weekends ago to walk through the neighborhood and ask residents for anything they could recall about the last few days Miller was in Wolfeboro. Moore posted flyers around town advertising the Mount Major event on Miller’s favorite outdoor trail. This is also the second time the family has made the hike, where they serve participants Miller’s favorite family dish, her mom’s spinach soup. Moore said her now 83-year-old mother still makes the difficult climb for her beloved daughter.

“We want the public to be aware that this is still an open case because people go on with their lives, which is understandable … (but) people might not realize anything, even something minute regarding my sister or family members, anything they saw… that could help,” Moore said.

On the family website dedicated to resolving the case, BobbiesSoup.com, relatives say Bobbie was one of 24 victims murdered in New Hampshire in 2010, and law enforcement officials don’t have “enough manpower” to devote to Miller’s investigation.

“It is unlikely her killer will be brought to justice without our help, and yours,” the site reads.

Remembering Bobbie

Moore said the last time her mother spoke with her daughter over the phone, Bobbie said she was building flower boxes at her new home. Moore said her sister was always creative like that, devoting time to her favorite projects.

“What I remember about my sister the most is her laugh. She had this really hearty laugh, I’m looking at her picture right now…” Moore said, in a phone interview with Foster’s. “She was an incredible mother, almost to a fault. I almost think she did too much for her children.”

Miller was a mother to Jonathan and her now 27-year-old daughter, Jennifer.

Moore added when she walked around Wolfeboro, people remembered her sister, and shared stories with her. A local hairdresser said Bobbie lent her a car for a joyride after she complemented it, and an elderly woman said Bobbie used to drive her to church every Sunday, and shovel her driveway in the winter.

“She was just that kind of a person,” Moore said, with emotion in her voice. “Hopefully, (this reward) is really going to help solve the case, but it also helps us all feel a little better that we’re doing something, you know? We’re not going to sit back. You’ve got to keep after people all the time.”

The second annual hike up Mount Major in Alton Bay will be held on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 10 a.m. Bobbie’s favorite soup will be served, along with water. The event is free and dogs are welcome.